Human Health Exposure Analysis Resource: UnTargeted Exposure Analysis Laboratories (U2C Clinical Trial Not Allowed) | RFA ES 18 012

Opportunity Information: Apply for RFA ES 18 012

This funding opportunity (RFA ES-18-012) is an NIH-led initiative, managed through the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS) with support from other NIH Institutes and Centers, to build out the Human Health Exposure Analysis Resource (HHEAR). HHEAR is positioned as the next phase and expansion of the earlier Children’s Health Exposure Analysis Resource (CHEAR). The central purpose is to give the broader NIH extramural research community practical access to high-end laboratory measurements and related statistical support so investigators can add environmental exposure information to existing human health studies, expand the exposure scope already being analyzed, and then contribute those exposure data back to the public domain. In plain terms, NIH is trying to make it easier and more standardized for researchers to measure the “exposome” (the total set of environmental exposures and related biological responses across the lifespan) and to use those data to sharpen what we know about how environments shape health outcomes over time.

The FOA specifically solicits applications to create “Laboratories” that function as Lab Hubs within the HHEAR consortium. These Hubs are expected to provide comprehensive exposome measurement using untargeted analytical approaches rather than narrow, single-chemical testing. The emphasis is on untargeted platforms such as metabolomics, including methods that rely on libraries enriched for biomarkers relevant to environmental exposures. The intent is that these platforms can detect a broad range of exogenous chemicals (environmental contaminants and exposure-related compounds) as well as endogenous signals that reflect biological changes in response to environmental influences. Importantly, the samples to be analyzed are expected to come from extant or ongoing human health studies already funded or conducted in the NIH extramural research community, meaning the Hubs are built to serve and amplify existing cohorts and studies rather than to launch new clinical trials.

Each Laboratory Hub is required to be organized with an Administrative Core and a Developmental Core. The Administrative Core generally implies responsibility for coordination, project management, communication with the consortium, data handling expectations, and the operational workflow needed to receive study samples and return high-quality results in a consistent manner. The Developmental Core signals that NIH is not only buying lab throughput, but also investing in continued improvement of the untargeted methods themselves, with a clear expectation that the Hub will refine and expand the ability of its platform(s) to detect a wider range of exposures and biologic response signatures across multiple types of biological matrices (for example, blood, urine, saliva, or other relevant specimen types). The overall model is an infrastructure resource: labs provide standardized, scalable measurement capability plus method development so that exposure science can be integrated more routinely into health research.

The award mechanism is a cooperative agreement (U2C), which typically means NIH expects substantial involvement in coordinating activities, setting consortium standards, and ensuring that the resource operates in a way that benefits the wider community. The FOA is explicitly “Clinical Trial Not Allowed,” which means applicants cannot propose a clinical trial as part of the work supported under this opportunity. The activity category is listed under Environment and Health, with CFDA number 93.113, aligning it with NIEHS’s mission and related NIH environmental health priorities.

Eligibility is broad across U.S.-based organizations and includes many government and academic entities as well as nonprofit and for-profit applicants. Eligible applicant types include state, county, and city/township governments; special district governments; independent school districts; public and state-controlled institutions of higher education; private institutions of higher education; federally recognized Native American tribal governments and other tribal organizations; public housing authorities/Indian housing authorities; nonprofits with and without 501(c)(3) status (outside of higher education); for-profit organizations (other than small businesses) and small businesses; and other entities as specified by NIH. The FOA also calls out additional eligible applicant categories such as Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), Hispanic-serving Institutions, Tribally Controlled Colleges and Universities (TCCUs), Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian Serving Institutions, and Asian American Native American Pacific Islander Serving Institutions (AANAPISIs), as well as faith-based or community-based organizations, eligible federal agencies, regional organizations, and U.S. territories or possessions. At the same time, the opportunity is clear about foreign restrictions: non-U.S. entities (foreign organizations and foreign institutions) are not eligible to apply, non-domestic components of U.S. organizations are not eligible, and foreign components (as defined by NIH policy) are not allowed.

From a funding perspective, the listed award ceiling is $1,500,000, and the opportunity was originally posted on 2018-08-30 with an original closing date of 2018-10-29. While the summary data provided does not specify the final number of anticipated awards, the structure and language make clear NIH’s intent to stand up multiple Hubs that collectively provide national-scale capability for untargeted exposure assessment, paired with the expectation that resulting exposure data will be made publicly available to accelerate discovery and improve understanding of environmental contributions to human health across the life course.

• The National Institutes of Health in the environment, health sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Human Health Exposure Analysis Resource: UnTargeted Exposure Analysis Laboratories (U2C Clinical Trial Not Allowed)" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 93.113.
• This funding opportunity was created on 2018-08-30.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2018-10-29. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
• Each selected applicant is eligible to receive up to $1,500,000.00 in funding.
• Eligible applicants include: State governments, County governments, City or township governments, Special district governments, Independent school districts, Public and State controlled institutions of higher education, Native American tribal governments (Federally recognized), Public housing authorities/Indian housing authorities, Native American tribal organizations (other than Federally recognized tribal governments), Nonprofits having a 501 (c) (3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education, Nonprofits that do not have a 501 (c) (3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education, Private institutions of higher education, For-profit organizations other than small businesses, Small businesses, Others.

Apply for RFA ES 18 012

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